Barbara
MY LOVE FOR SPY MOVIES: GADGETS OVER HACKERS
As a child, I remember that moment in Thunderball when James Bond put on a jetpack and flew away. While it looked silly, the idea of such cutting-edge technology captured my imagination, and since then, I’ve been a fan of spy movies full of weird gadgets. However, I’ve noticed a decrease in these gadgets in modern spy shows, and I wondered why.
According to Dr. Alexia Albion, the Curator of Special Projects at the International Spy Museum, there is a fine line between cool gadgets and absurd ones. Spy movies must balance technology that’s a little ahead of its time while still being relatable to the audience. For example, Pierce Brosnan’s Bond’s paragliding apparatus in Die Another Day, which felt neither realistic nor relatable.
Nowadays, spy movies have less goofy gadgets on the cusp of reality, and technology has advanced to the point where we have tiny personal helicopters and drones. Spy movies now rely on hackers who can control computers, use Bluetooth sniffers, and even kill someone’s wireless connection. Dr. Albion explains that hackers can do extraordinary things and have become an essential part of spy films.
While hackers may be more believable than jetpacks, they’re not as entertaining to watch. Watching someone type on a computer screen will never be as compelling as watching Bond glide away on a jetpack or use a wireless pager in From Russia With Love.
In conclusion, spy movies need to strike a balance between cutting-edge technology and relatable gadgets to be successful. While hackers have become a crucial part of modern spy films, audiences still crave the excitement of weird gadgets that bend the rules of physics.
